Then, that truly is a cunning and despicable bastard.
Kisaragi Chiyo let out a cold laugh. "Right now, he's probably hiding in some place he thinks is safe, feeling incredibly smug about his plan, isn't he?"
“We'll catch him,” Matsuda Jinpei said comfortingly, “after we destroy his daydream.”
"Because we don't know when it will explode, we don't have much time left." Matsuda Jinpei's gaze swept over those four locations once more, he quickly assigned the tasks.
You go to the nearest carousel and the haunted house," Matsuda Jinpei said, pointing to the locations in the manual. "I'll take responsibility for the Ferris wheel and the roller coaster.
"As for you, Kisaragi Chiyo," Matsuda Jinpei turned to look at Kisaragi Chiyo, his gaze solemn and serious.
We need an excuse that won't cause mass panic to investigate the bombs, so we're counting on you to handle things with the Director and the police.
Bombs of this kind, placed on different attractions within the amusement park, can be ruled out as being remote-controlled; besides, the culprit wouldn't be able to monitor multiple locations simultaneously.
Kobayashi." Matsuda Jinpei looked at the Ghost Vigilante, whose head was bleeding, "Can you still find that culprit now?
I still remember what that guy looks like," Ghost Kobayashi said, a confident expression appearing on his face. "Just give me a little time.
Very well, you go and take charge of organizing the other ghosts in the park, find out exactly where that guy is hiding, then give the address to Kisaragi.
"Other ghosts.." Kisaragi Chiyo looked at Matsuda Jinpei with some hesitation.
Don't worry." Matsuda Jinpei pushed up the sunglasses on his face and smiled at her. "They're all pretty decent guys, it's just that they don't like sunbathing much. Plus, I've warned them not to play pranks on people, so they've all gone into hiding to sleep in.
By the way." Only after assigning the tasks did Matsuda Jinpei remember to ask for the others' opinions. "The situation is urgent, so there won't be any problems if you do as I say, right?
"I have no problem with that." Kisaragi Chiyo had no objections to Matsuda Jinpei's assignments; in front of a professional, he couldn't offer a better suggestion.
"And what about you?" Matsuda Jinpei looked toward Hara Kenji, his gaze piercing. Even through his sunglasses, one could feel two flames burning in his eyes, bright and dazzling.
Hara, you can do it, right?
“I..”
Hara Kenji lowered his eyes halfway and looked down at his own hands, a strange yet familiar sensation quietly reviving in his heart. Even without his memories, it was as if habits he had repeated thousands of times had been etched into his very body; even with his eyes closed, he felt his hands could move automatically.
He let out a slow, heavy breath, clenched his hands, replied with a firm tone, "I feel like I can do it."
That's good." Matsuda Jinpei smiled, not asking whether Hara Kenji still remembered how to defuse a bomb; he simply gave a slight nod, his tone casual yet heavy with trust. "I believe in you.
Of course," Matsuda Jinpei nodded toward Hara Kenji, "don't forget to put on a disguise beforehand.
"And you, Kisaragi." Matsuda Jinpei's gaze swept over Kisaragi Chiyo, he suddenly let out a light chuckle.
If anyone asks about your identity or questions what you say, just tell the Director that you are a detective.
"An occasional detective's identity is much more useful than any other profession," Matsuda Jinpei said with a shrug, speaking in the tone of someone with experience.
After hearing this, Kisaragi Chiyo couldn't help but show a trace of confusion; although he didn't understand the meaning behind Matsuda Jinpei's words, he still nodded in agreement.
Since the other party gave such an instruction, there must be a special reason behind it.
*
After parting ways with Matsuda Jinpei and the others, Kisaragi Chiyo spent a few minutes following the guidance of a kind stranger and successfully found the Director's office.
By the time he knocked and entered, the police officers who had rushed there after receiving his message were already inside.
Among them was Date Wataru, whom she had met a few times before.
"Good morning, everyone." Before Date Wataru could call out her name, Kisaragi Chiyo raised the threatening letter in her hand and flashed a smile at the group in the office.
Immediately following that, her misty gray eyes swept over the people present without emotion, as if she were judging whether the group before her was reliable.
"There's no need to try calling again." Kisaragi Chiyo's gaze finally came to rest on the police officer she had seen at the cafe that day, the one others referred to as Inspector Megure.
It was me who sent you the message." Kisaragi Chiyo took a few steps forward and handed the letter in her hand to Inspector Megure. "The threatening letter is here; we have already identified four locations.
Could you be..
Inspector Megure sized up the strange and gloomy young man who had suddenly burst in before him.
Just as the other man pushed the door open and entered, he was also startled subconsciously. The air seemed to freeze for a moment, making one feel as if they had to breathe with extreme caution. As the gaze swept over him, it was casual yet carried a hint of boredom; it wasn't until the other man spoke that Megure Juzo realized his palms had actually broken into a cold sweat.
Are you the Ghost Vigilante's accomplice?
Just as Inspector Megure thought the Ghost Vigilante was the one messaging him, this young man suddenly appeared, which also suggested that the person behind the number that had sent him two messages was likely not the Ghost Vigilante.
Inspector Megure's first reaction wasn't that he hadn't considered the possibility that the other person was the Ghost, but when he inadvertently met that misty gray eye looking out from the outside, a strange, inexplicable chill crept up his spine.
With that casual and detached attitude, this person definitely couldn't be the Ghost Vigilante.
That's why Inspector Megure concluded that the person was an accomplice to the Ghost Vigilante.
“An accomplice?”
Upon hearing his words, the young man, whose right eye was obscured by his hair, let out a nonsensical chuckle. He repeated those two words, his black haori contrasting with his pale face, which rarely saw the sun, while his misty-gray eyes shifted slightly beneath thin eyelids as he gazed at Megure Juzo.
“You could understand it that way.”
The gloomy young man spoke in a flat tone, the silver tassel earring on his ear swaying slightly as he lowered his head.
Of course, you can also call me a detective.
“Detective?” Inspector Megure repeated involuntarily. Beside him, Date Wataru, who knew the truth, also gazed at her, but he did not choose to expose Kisaragi Chiyo's lie.
Yes, Detective," Kisaragi Chiyo nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Just an ordinary, kind-hearted detective who happened to be passing by.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thanks to all the little angels for your support, mwah 033
Chapter 47
Everything went exactly as Matsuda Jinpei had expected; after he announced that he was a detective, an expression of "so that's how it is" appeared on everyone's faces. It was as if a detective were a panacea, capable of curing any ailment or pain, no matter what it might be.
"So you're a detective." The Director was a middle-aged man in his fifties with thinning hair and a pair of old-fashioned round glasses. As he spoke, he kept using a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Is there something you need me to do?" The Director's hand, which was wiping away sweat, wouldn't stop trembling. It made sense; no one could remain calm after learning that several bombs had been planted in their own amusement park.
If that were the case, the police might have to start by suspecting the Director.
"My companion has already headed toward the amusement facility where the bomb was installed." Kisaragi Chiyo handed the threatening letter in his hands to Inspector Megure, along with the park guidebook in which he had circled the key sections in red ink.
"To avoid causing public panic or attracting the criminal's attention, I hope you can contact the staff members responsible for supervising the facility." Kisaragi Chiyo had his hands tucked into the wide sleeves of his haori. He lowered his eyes, his gaze landing on the photo frame standing on the Director's desk.
The background of the photo in the frame was a construction site that had just begun work; looking at the date noted in the bottom right corner, it should have been when the amusement park was first being built.
The Director in the photo looks a bit younger than he does now, his hair is much thicker than it is today.
Standing beside him was another tall, thin man of a similar age. He had ordinary features and was dressed in a brown suit. He stood very close to the Director, it was tentatively assumed that the two were friends or business partners.
".. Tell them that maintenance workers will be coming to inspect the equipment later.." As Kisaragi Chiyo spoke, her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a head with blood streaming from the top of it, slowly rising from beneath the office window.
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
"Is there something outside the window?" Date Wataru, who had been paying close attention to Kisaragi Chiyo's movements, keenly noticed where his gaze had fallen on the window.
Date Wataru turned his head and looked toward the window, but there was nothing there. Looking out from this distance, he could see the red Ferris wheel on the eastern side of the amusement park. It was said that at night, that Ferris wheel would be covered in beautifully colored lights, making it a must-visit spot for couples.
Date Wataru had also heard the rumor that if lovers kiss when the Ferris wheel reaches its highest point, they will be together forever.
Although it sounded quite interesting, every time Date Wataru took Natalie on a date, he would subconsciously avoid any buildings involving a Ferris wheel.
Because once he saw them, he would always involuntarily recall certain things from the past.
They always accompanied him in his past memories. Like a bleak, cold wind, even though winter always passes, Date Wataru has gradually tried to let go and accept it.
But he had never thought of forgetting; how could he ever forget?
*
"No.. it's nothing." Kisaragi Chiyo shook her head gently and withdrew her gaze.
The Ghost Vigilante had already drifted through the window into the room. He first took a curious look around at the people inside before babbling out everything he had discovered to Kisaragi Chiyo.
We searched many places, starting with the surveillance room and the shop warehouses.. but we couldn't find that guy anywhere.
Later, Maeko was the first to find a clue," Ghost Kobayashi said, gesturing wildly with his hands. "It turns out that guy hadn't hidden himself away in some place; instead, he had taken off his previous staff uniform and was currently posing as an attraction ticket seller.
".. Also, Maeko discovered the real staff member locked in the cleaning supplies closet." Once Ghost started talking, he couldn't stop at all, leaving Kisaragi Chiyo to struggle to extract any useful information from his words.
"Do you know Maeko? She's such an unlucky ghost; she was pierced through the heart by rebar falling from a transport truck on her way home.. I had it a bit better; I was crushed to death by someone jumping from a building. At least the blood spraying from the heart won't obstruct my vision.." Ghost Kobayashi frowned, looking quite distressed.
"That's right," Ghost Vigilante said, as if remembering something, clenching one hand into a fist and striking his palm with great force.
"It really is because I hit my head that my memory has become so bad.. You should know that I used to be a children's show host; I never used to forget my lines.." Ghost Vigilante's eyes widened, his black and white eyes set in a face covered in blood, making it almost impossible to see his features.
Ghost stared directly into Kisaragi Chiyo's eyes and said, word for word, "I remember now. Grandma Haruko said that she seemed to have met that criminal during her lifetime."
He was still very small back then, following closely behind his father, always babbling about how he would design the world's number one amusement park in the future.
By the way, Grandma Haruko said that the child's name is Sanada Teruto.
..
"Alright." Inspector Megure took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, he let out a sigh of relief after putting his phone down.
"I have just finished contacting the bomb disposal squad." Inspector Megure gripped the amusement park guidebook tightly in his hands, his gaze constantly darting between the four facilities circled by Kisaragi Chiyo.
They have already arrived at the scene. Likewise, they cleared out the tourists under the pretext of maintenance and inspection; only in this way can the bomb be dismantled more effectively and safely.
The reason the police accepted Kisaragi Chiyo's suggestion for a low-profile operation was twofold: on one hand, the facilities where the bombs were installed were not limited to a single location, given the high volume of visitors in the amusement park, it would be very easy to trigger a stampede.
On the other hand, out of concern for the safety of the bomb disposal police, the police did not want to attract media attention until the danger had been neutralized.
This requirement was proposed by the supervisor on the other side, who did not want a repeat of the tragedy from seven years ago.
*
Kisaragi Chiyo did not get involved in the police's operational plan; he simply slowly shifted his gaze from the photo frame on the table upward. His misty-gray, emotionless eyes looked directly at the Director.
The Director broke into a cold sweat under Kisaragi Chiyo's scrutinizing gaze. He couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, while cautiously asking, "Mr. Detective, is there something else you wish to ask me?"
"I do indeed have a few more questions that require your answers." Kisaragi Chiyo had already learned the perpetrator's location from the Ghost, but he did not reveal it immediately; instead, he turned to raise another important issue.
According to the contents of the letter, there is a fifth bomb.
As soon as the words had barely landed, the Director was already so weak in the knees that he could hardly stand. He practically collapsed into his chair, his face pale and his lips trembling incessantly. He looked at Kisaragi Chiyo, trying to find any hint of a joke on her face.
But he failed.
“The fifth one?” Inspector Megure was also shocked; no matter how he looked at that notebook, he only saw four circled locations.